


just take it slow / move your feet to the beat

by milkywei



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Fukuroudani is an idol group, Idol AU, Konoha is an Idol, M/M, Pre-Slash, Stan Fukuroudani
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:27:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23926888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milkywei/pseuds/milkywei
Summary: It is not easy being an idol, having to put up a persona for the thousands of watchful eyes. Konoha Akinori is well-loved but he also has so much expectations on his shoulders being the visual and all-rounder of one of Japan's top idol groups.While having a photo shoot in Milan, Konoha feels himself at the edge of a burn out and decides to slip away and take a breather. While aimlessly wandering the streets of Brera, he encounters an artist who turns out to be just the breath of fresh air that he needs.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Konoha Akinori
Comments: 7
Kudos: 55





	just take it slow / move your feet to the beat

**Author's Note:**

> this work is part of [HQ Rare Pair Week 2020](https://twitter.com/HQRareWeek2020)!
> 
>  **day 3** ice cream | Italian city | celebrity!AU

Milan in July is the worst time to be doing an outdoor photoshoot. Konoha is trying not to sweat buckets so that he does not incur the wrath of his coordinator, who is already having a hard time stopping Bokuto from ripping the seams of his shirt when he all but flexes his arms.

They are currently shooting the promotional pictures of their upcoming concert, which will be premiering in Japan in 6 months time. Their group, Fukurodani, is currently one of the trending idol groups and each of their members are all popular in their own way. Bokuto is the team leader and he is the most sought after idol for variety shows as he is the most outgoing in the team. Sarukui and Komi are the main dancers and their dance covers on the team’s YouTube page always blow up within a few hours. Washio, despite his tough exterior, has the most melodious voice and it adds a different colour to their performances.

Meanwhile Konoha is the group’s visual and all-rounder, constantly surprising fans with the things that he can do. Sometimes he is part of the dance-line with Saru and Komi, sometimes he does the high notes in their songs along with Washio, sometimes he gets sent to variety shows with Bokuto and recently he has even been casted in a popular high-school drama.

It has been 5 years since their debut and Konoha does not think that they have ever gone for a long break throughout that time. When they are not promoting their latest songs, they would be corralled to a show to get their faces on every single screen. When they are not on TV, they would be flying off to different countries to promote. When they are not in different countries, they would be in the practice room, preparing for their next song.

Konoha loves being an idol – he enjoys putting out music and performances for people to enjoy. But ever since their debut, Konoha has been longing for a sense of _normalcy_ in their otherwise exhilarating life. It is not that he does not appreciate what he has at the moment, it is just that he feels like he is floating further away from the ground. He does not know when he first started having these thoughts, but he knows that everything just feels so _off_ – like something is missing and he has forgotten who he is aside from his idol persona. 

It is a persona right? He knows he stops putting up his mask when he is at home, away from any watchful eyes.

While waiting for his turn, something in Konoha just gives him a rush of adrenaline. What if he slips away for a moment to wander around Milan and catch a breath of air? Surely it would be so easy to walk off when everyone else is focused with the shoot. He glances at his manager, Yamiji-san, who is trying to get Saru and Komi to stop moving around so much and risk tearing a hole in their pants.

Their coordinator is touching up Washio’s make-up and the other staff are giving Bokuto all their attention because the idol is starting to get restless and pouty.

Konoha decides that it would not hurt to slip away _just for a while_.

* * *

In hindsight, he should have thought this through before he went with it. He is in a foreign country which he has never been to before and he does not even speak an ounce of Italian. He should have listened in on Komi studying on the plane earlier but he had been too tired and bunkered down the moment he took his seat.

Konoha wanders around the area, being careful not to stray too far away from the place where they are having their photo shoot lest he gets lost. He remembers that he is in the Brera district and Washio had said there are a lot of art galleries here. He tips his cap which he has swiped from the dressing room over his face, careful not to make himself noticeable.

Over the years, the group has garnered a lot of fans and while they are thankful for their fans’ support, some of their fans are a bit overzealous in showing it. Their manager had warned them about a group of stalker fans that had followed them all the way here despite it being a secret schedule and he told them to be extra careful not to interact with them.

As Konoha is admiring the artistic buildings and the cosy atmosphere, he chances upon a person sitting at the sidewalk with an easel. He is painting the scenery on his canvas, people walking past and paying him no attention as if it is a normal occurrence.

But there is just something about this person that catches Konoha’s attention. He looks so serene, as if he has completely immersed himself in the scenery that he is painting. Konoha watches in awe as he dips his brush on the canvas, purposeful brushstrokes making his painting come to life. The way the artist paints makes it seem like the brushstrokes are dancing and he does it so effortlessly, not trying so hard to impress anyone because he knows that he is not being watched. 

Konoha has forgotten what it was like to do something for himself, and not just for the sake of others and getting it over and done with.

“That’s amazing,” he unconsciously says out loud in Japanese.

He seems to have startled the artist because he stops in his tracks and looks at Konoha with curious blue-grey eyes. Konoha feels guilty for breaking the artist’s focus but at the same time, he cannot tear his eyes away. The artist looks like a painting – his messy hair the colour of the darkest inkstone. It frames a pale peach face with sharp blue-grey eyes and his artistic look is completed by horn-rimmed glasses.

What surprises Konoha even more are the words of a familiar language that come out from his mouth. “Japanese?” he asks with a curious glint in his eyes.

“Yes,” Konoha replies with a nod. “Your painting is really beautiful.”

The artist looks at his canvas and back to Konoha with a smile. “Thank you. I was taking a walk and I just felt like capturing this scene so I did.”

“Do you live here?” Konoha asks.

The artist nods. “Yeah, I’m getting my degree here. It’s really been awhile since I’ve talked to people in Japanese so this is definitely a pleasant surprise.”

Konoha learns that the artist’s name is Akaashi Keiji and he moved here to study at an arts academy. He is much younger than Konoha is, so he insists on being called just ‘Akaashi’. He has been in Milan for 3 years and lives with two roommates, another foreign student from Macau and an orange cat named Macaron.

Akaashi lets Konoha sit next to him as he continues painting the scenery. The artist asks what he does for a living and Konoha hesitates if he should tell Akaashi the truth. He should not even be talking to Akaashi in the first place, what if he posts about their meeting online and exposes the group’s filming location? But Akaashi does not seem to be the type to expose Konoha, so he decides to take the risk. “I’m in an idol group. We’re currently doing a filming for our upcoming concert.”

Akaashi looks at him and makes Konoha even more nervous by looking around him. “What’s with that reaction?” Konoha asks.

“There doesn’t seem to be any cameras on you,” Akaashi points out. “What kind of filming are you doing?”

Konoha laughs at his bluntness. “Well, I’m _supposed_ to be filming something. But… I kinda wandered off to take a breather.”

“Alone?” Akaashi asks.

“It’s been awhile since I got some time for myself,” Konoha replies.

Akaashi hums, putting in the finishing touches for his painting while Konoha watches him. He wipes his forehead with the back of his hand and lets out a sigh of relief. “There we go,” Akaashi grins, leaning away from his painting.

The end product is just as beautiful as Konoha thought it would be. Akaashi has painted the buildings next to the cobbled street, capturing the quaint atmosphere of Brera. He thinks about the brushstrokes that danced when Akaashi put them on the canvas and he sees how the colours have taken their final positions in the painting after completing their choreography with Akaashi’s brush.

“I think you captured the scene perfectly, Akaashi,” Konoha comments. “Who is this painting for?”

The artist is in the middle of keeping his brushes and paints. “I didn’t paint it for anyone in particular,” he replies. “I painted it because I wanted to and I guess anyone is able to view it if they want to as well.”

Konoha furrows his eyebrows at Akaashi’s statement. “How can you paint but not have anyone you’re painting for?”

Akaashi smiles as he keeps his box of art supplies into his bag. “Do we only create to please, Konoha-san?”

* * *

After Akaashi has packed all his things, they wander around the streets. Konoha gets distracted by a busker singing at the sidewalk and he turns to see that Akaashi has disappeared. He panics for a moment, thinking that Akaashi has just left without saying anything but then he spots the dark-haired artist with two cones of gelato which he swears on his life by. “I always buy gelato from this _signor_ whenever I feel down. He always gives me extras.”

“Does he not ask why you’re getting yourself two cones instead of one?” Konoha asks.

“Don’t worry, he’s used to it,” Akaashi chuckles, passing a cone to Konoha.

Konoha accepts his gelato with a quiet thank you and starts licking at it. The flavour surprises him as he has never tasted anything like it before and It is definitely different from the ice cream that he has tasted in Japan. “Italians definitely make the best desserts,” Akaashi declares. “But I do miss miso every now and then.”

“What’s one food that you miss?” Konoha asks.

“Onigiri,” Akaashi replies without missing a beat. “There are some Japanese restaurants here but it’s sad that onigiri is not something of a restaurant-standard. My roommate and I tried to make onigiri with risotto rice but it was a massive failure.”

Konoha laughs because he can imagine Akaashi trying to mould the onigiri shape and getting annoyed when the rice would not turn out the way he wanted it to. Akaashi looks at him with a pleasant glint in his eyes. “Konoha-san, you look more relaxed now than when you approached me earlier.”

“Do I?” Konoha muses, taking a bite of his cone with a grin. He does feel much lighter than he did during the photoshoot and he thinks that it has everything to do with his interaction with Akaashi.

“I feel bad for running away. My manager is probably looking for me,” the idol mutters. He has left his phone in his coordinator’s bag because he does not have any pockets on him. He thought that he would only be gone for a while so he did not think of bringing his phone with him.

“Everyone needs to take a break once in a while,” Akaashi says to him, nibbling on his ice-cream cone. “I learned that the hard way while rushing for my deadlines.”

“Is art school hard?” Konoha asks.

“It’s not hard per se,” Akaashi replies. “It’s just a lot of scrutiny over something which you thought you had enough passion about so sometimes it just makes you question a lot of things.”

“But I found that the moment you stop trying to please people and start doing things for yourself, the process gets easier,” the artist continues. “I mean, sure you would want someone to praise you and tell you that you did well, but I believe that it is more fulfilling when people are able to see things that you put your heart into doing.”

Konoha stares at Akaashi. Listening to him speak feels like a breath of fresh air. All this while, Konoha has only been doing things to please people, putting on a persona that his company has made up for him and doing performances that his fans would like.

Since everything he has been doing is under heavy scrutiny, he has always felt the need to conform to those expectations, especially being the visual and all-rounder of the group. But listening to Akaashi like this, Konoha feels like maybe he can find a way to enjoy the process. Maybe then, he would be able to make his feet touch the ground.

He sees that the busker from earlier has started to sing a more upbeat and happy song, attracting an audience like the pied piper. Konoha himself feels like he needs to dance to the busker’s music. He turns to Akaashi with a grin on his face. “Akaashi, do you do any dancing?”

The artist snorts. “You’re not making me dance. I have two left feet.”

“Nonsense! Feet can still dance!” Konoha exclaims, grabbing Akaashi’s hand and dragging him to where the busker is playing his guitar, a jazzy tune happily plucked from the strings. The artist is red in the face as he is being pulled along to dance.

Konoha starts by simply swaying the both of them to the beat, following the movement of other people who are also dancing by the sidewalk. Akaashi has his eyes on the ground, looking at his feet, but Konoha lifts his chin up by his finger and locks onto his blue-grey eyes. “Just follow my lead, okay?” Konoha tells him.

Akaashi looks worried but he nods, continuing to look at Konoha. They start to move their bodies more freely, swaying their hips to the beat of the music. Akaashi laughs as Konoha dances next to an elderly woman, holding her hands and skipping along with her.

A bigger audience is starting to form a circle around the busker and Akaashi watches as Konoha immerses himself to the music, dancing as if it is second nature. The audience starts to cheer for both the busker and Konoha and even Akaashi claps along with a smile on his face after he has stepped back into the audience to leave Konoha in the spotlight.

The idol looks so happy and Akaashi cannot seem to take his eyes away from him. He wonders if this is what his fans see in him and thinks that the spotlight is quite fitting for someone like Konoha.

As the music reaches its end, Konoha’s sharp movements mellow down too but his cap drops from his head when he does his ending pose. The audience cheers and Konoha smiles and bows, picking up his cap and brushing his sweat-matted hair back. He turns to Akaashi, who is clapping and cheering so loud that it makes a blush creep up his cheeks. ‘ _I believe that it is more fulfilling when people are able to see things that you put your heart into doing._ ’

“That was amazing!” Akaashi tells him and Konoha laughs shyly.

_“I’ve never seen Konoha-san dance like that before!”_

_“That is definitely him, right?”_

_“Hey, don’t be so obvious that you’re taking his picture!”_

Konoha stiffens when he hears whispers from the crowd. _The stalker fans_. Akaashi seems to have noticed them as well because he has grabbed onto Konoha’s arm. “Konoha-san, follow me,” he whispers, pulling Konoha along.

They weave through the crowd in an attempt to shake off the stalker fans but Konoha can still hear them following behind.

“Akaashi, they’re still following us,” Konoha mutters anxiously but Akaashi squeezes his hand in reassurance.

Akaashi brings him through all the crowded streets, weaving in and out of the crowd as much as they can that Konoha is starting to feel a bit claustrophobic. He grips Akaashi’s hand as tightly as he can, scared that he might lose him in the crowd. Eventually he thinks that he cannot hear the stalker fans anymore and his paranoia subsides. Akaashi brings him into a narrow cobblestone alley, away from the crowds, so that he can catch his breath.

“I’m so sorry,” Konoha apologises, falling to his knees as he tries to calm himself down.

“It’s alright, Konoha-san. Just breathe,” Akaashi tells him, crouching down beside Konoha and placing a hand on his back.

Konoha takes in a deep breath, focusing on the feeling of Akaashi’s hand moving up and down his back comfortingly. He exhales into the ground, holding his hands together so that he can stop his hands from shaking. They stay like that for a while without saying anything to each other and suddenly Konoha feels the urge to laugh bubbling in his chest. Akaashi looks at him in surprise. “Are you okay, Konoha-san?” he asks worriedly.

“I’ve never felt better, Akaashi,” Konoha replies with a wide smile on his face. It is true that he has never felt his heart beat so fast in his life, but he has also never felt so _free_.

Akaashi frowns, not knowing whether he should be worried or not, but Konoha is smiling so he guesses that it is alright.

“God, my manager is going to kill me,” Konoha laments, putting his hands in his head. “It would have been a perfect day if we didn’t bump into those people.”

“Either way, I think your manager would’ve still killed you, Konoha-san,” Akaashi points out, making Konoha grimace.

“I thought you said that it’s alright to take a break,” Konoha reminds him.

“Yeah, but I didn’t know that you could be caught in this kind of situation. It’s scary to watch you freak out,” the artist replies.

Konoha laughs. “Yeah, that’s my bad. I think I’ll make my way back to the photoshoot now.”

He describes to Akaashi the place where they were having their photo shoot earlier and fortunately Akaashi knows where exactly he is talking about. Akaashi leads the way and Konoha follows behind him.

They take a route where there is more human traffic so that they would not be noticed by Konoha’s stalker fans. Konoha holds onto Akaashi’s hand so that they do not lose each other in the crowd and as they walk, Konoha cannot stop thinking about how rough and calloused Akaashi’s palms are from painting.

They reach the area of the photo shoot, where everything is still set up, and Konoha spots Yamiji-san pacing the area and making calls while his other group members are sitting at the corner, huddled together. His manager probably made them do that so he does not lose sight of any of them.

It is Bokuto who spots him first and the silver-haired leader loudly calls out to him. “KONOHA!!! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!”

“He has a very loud voice,” Akaashi comments from where they are standing almost 10 metres away. 

“Yeah, that’s Bokuto for you,” Konoha chuckles.

They walk over to where everyone is and Konoha ducks his head in embarrassment, trying to look guilty. Yamiji-san is looking at him with his arms crossed to his chest and he can already hear the lecture even before he opens his mouth. Instead of saying anything, his eyes do most of the talking as they fall to where Konoha is holding Akaashi’s hand. Konoha does not even realise that they are still holding hands.

“Who’s this?” Yamiji-san asks, nodding towards Akaashi.

“This is Akaashi. He helped me make my way here when I got lost,” Konoha explains, choosing to omit out the information that might get him in more trouble.

Akaashi bows politely to Konoha’s manager. “I’m sorry for bringing him back so late.”

Konoha’s group members are looking at Akaashi curiously, wondering who is this person that brought Konoha back. “It’s alright, Akaashi-san. Thank you for bringing him back in one piece,” Yamiji-san replies.

Akaashi bows again and ruthlessly pushes Konoha towards his manager. “Akaashi! I thought you would have my back!” Konoha hisses.

“You brought this upon yourself, Konoha-san,” Akaashi replies.

Yamiji-san shakes his head. “Konoha, go get ready for your turn.”

“Can Akaashi please stay for awhile?” Konoha requests, to which Akaashi splutters.

“Konoha-san! I don’t think I should be here,” the artist hisses.

“Stay around for awhile until I’m done!” Konoha tells him. “You can talk to the guys. Be around Japanese people!”

Konoha turns back to his manager. “Can he? Please?”

Yamiji-san sighs and shrugs. “I suppose if he brought you back here, he can be trusted.”

The Fukurodani members immediately swarm Akaashi as Konoha gets whisked away by his coordinator to get him ready for his photo shoot. They seem to have immediately taken a liking to Akaashi and Konoha just hopes that they do not overwhelm him. 

* * *

Konoha is the last to have his pictures taken but he makes up for his little stunt by awing the photo shoot director with his shots. “Great work, Konoha-san. You’re shining particularly brightly today,” the director praises him. Konoha thanks him with a bow and skips over to where his coordinator is keeping her things.

“Hey, Kaori. Can I have my phone?” Konoha asks her.

“Akinori, you idiot! You got all of us worried and I felt so bad because your phone is in my bag,” Kaori tells him, smacking him lightly in the shoulder.

“I’m sorry!” Konoha apologises for the tenth time that day, fishing his phone out of Kaori’s bag. He spots a wrapped onigiri in her bag and takes it out.

“Hey, are you gonna eat this?” Konoha asks.

“Ah, I got it at the airport before we left Japan and I thought of giving it to Yukie,” Kaori says. “But you can have it, she eats too much anyway.”

Konoha’s eyes light up in glee. “Thanks, Kaori! You’re the best!”

“I better be, putting up with your shenanigans,” Kaori huffs.

When Konoha goes over to where he left Akaashi, he sees that he has settled right in with his group members. The dark-haired artist is listening intently as Bokuto is narrating a story about something that happened in the practice room. Komi and Saru add in details of their own and even Washio is calling Bokuto out on his exaggerations. Akaashi looks so happy to be having a conversation in Japanese and Konoha thinks about how the artist looks so pretty when he is smiling and laughing.

“Hey! Stop monopolising my friend. I met him first,” Konoha says, his hands to his hips as he looks over his group members.

“Too bad, Aki. He’s our friend now,” Saru teases, sticking his tongue out.

“Akaashi said that he likes me the best!” Bokuto declares to Konoha’s horror.

“I never said anything of that sort, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi laughs.

“Akaashi, you’re too nice to Bokuto,” Komi chides.

“I think we should return Akaashi-kun to Akinori before he cries,” Washio says.

Konoha gasps when the rest of the members laugh. “Tatsuki! How could you do this to me!”

Akaashi stands up and whisks him away before he can ask Washio to square up.

“Your life is interesting,” Akaashi tells him. “Judging from the stories that Bokuto-san has shared.”

Konoha sighs. “You should always take everything Bokuto says with a pinch of salt.”

Akaashi laughs, bright and melodious. “I really enjoyed talking to them. I never knew how much I missed speaking in Japanese and being around Japanese people.”

Konoha looks at Akaashi and remembers why he actually pulled Akaashi away from the rest. He pulls out the onigiri which Kaori gave to him and hands it to the artist, who looks at it with wide eyes. “Is that-”

“Onigiri,” Konoha says. “Um.. Kaori got it from the airport so it’s been out for quite some time but it hasn’t been a day yet so I think it’s still good to eat?”

Akaashi gratefully takes it and Konoha watches as he gingerly peels off the packaging from the onigiri. The way Akaashi looks at the onigiri makes Konoha snicker, it is as if he has finally been united with his one true love. When Akaashi takes a bite of the onigiri, his eyes disappear into crescent moons and he makes the cutest sound of content. Konoha is taken aback by the cuteness, feeling his face get hot and his heart flutter in his chest. _Dammit, Akaashi!_

“Thank you, Konoha-san,” Akaashi tells him with the brightest smile on his face.

 _You’re just the breath of fresh air that I needed._ “I should be thanking you instead,” Konoha says, returning him the smile back.

* * *

**knhaknr566642** has added you on LINE

You have accepted **knhaknr566642** ’s request

**knhaknr566642:** HELLO!!! :))

 **1205_akaashi:** Konoha-san?

 **knhaknr566642:** yep heheh

 **knhaknr566642:** sorry for the weird username saru made it for me so that the stalker fans can’t find me

 **1205_akaashi:** Hahah it’s alright

 **1205_akaashi:** Are you back in Japan already?

 **knhaknr566642:** yep! just landed a few hours ago

 **knhaknr566642:** guess what >:D

 **knhaknr566642:** [picture attachment]

 **1205_akaashi:** AN ONIGIRI RESTAURANT????

 **knhaknr566642:** yeah! my friend brought me to this place called onigiri miya. the owner makes so many types of onigiri!

 **1205_akaashi:** Konoha-san, please send some here :(

 **knhaknr566642:** haha no way! you have to come back to japan :P

 **1205_akaashi:** I think I’m going back for Spring break

 **knhaknr566642:** omg really?

 **1205_akaashi:** Yeah. As long as I can clear all my assignments by then

 **knhaknr566642:** WE HAVE OUR CONCERT IN SPRING

 **knhaknr566642:** PLEASE COME WATCH

 **1205_akaashi:** Hahah I would love to but I don’t think I’ll be able to get tickets.

 **knhaknr566642:** i’ll make sure that you do

 **knhaknr566642:** please akaashi pleeeease

 **knhaknr566642:** i want you to watch me put all my heart into this concert

 **knhaknr566642:** i can bring you to onigiri miya after that!

 **1205_akaashi:** You had me at Onigiri Miya :)

 **knhaknr566642:** omg really akaashi???? don’t you look forward to see me at all D:<

 **1205_akaashi:** Hahahaha of course I do!

 **1205_akaashi:** I miss you already Konoha-san.

 **1205_akaashi:** And the rest of Fukurodani too.

 **knhaknr566642:** akaashi………

 **knhaknr566642:** you’re so easy to like you know that……

 **1205_akaashi:** ???

 **knhaknr566642:** i’m so grateful to have met you!!

 **1205_akaashi:** I’m grateful to have met you too, Konoha-san.

**Author's Note:**

> title taken from beabadoobee's dance with me.
> 
> well... it isn't exactly day 3 but this is still here!! : ' D while writing this, i just imagined akakono walking around the streets of milan with the title song playing in the background.
> 
> hit me up on twitter @miyaagiboys if you wanna chat! i promise i won't bite (*ﾉωﾉ)


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